


Is

by rayisokay



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Humor, How Do I Tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-24
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-03-19 08:45:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3603777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rayisokay/pseuds/rayisokay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akiteru had a point to prove to his pesky little brother. Saeko was bored, and very confused. The combination causes a wild series of events. </p><p>~~~~~</p><p>In other words, this is the fake dating Akisae AU that cody and I have been frantically discussing since chapter 150 came out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning Is

**Author's Note:**

  * For [boundbyharmony](https://archiveofourown.org/users/boundbyharmony/gifts).



> I feel like this first chapter is really short. Anyways, this is the first serious fic I've written in forever, so I'm sorry if anything seems choppy. Any feedback is apprecated! (Translation: please)

Akiteru could have sworn that motorcycle wasn't there a second ago. But there he was, trying to back out from his driveway, when he felt a thud on his back bumper.   
"No, no, no, no!" he chanted to himself as he stopped the car to get out and observe the damage. His bumper had only a scratch, but a dent was visible on the front of the motorcycle. He could try to convince the owner that it wasn't his fault, but something told him that he wouldn't want to anger any guy with a bike like that. 

"What did you do to my bike?" A voice came from his side, and Akiteru was not expecting what he saw. From the house next door came a short blonde woman with a glare in her eyes and fire in her voice. "Ya tryin' to make me late for work?"  

"It was an accident, I'm so sorry!" 

"Oh yeah? I bet ya weren't lookin' right! Ya think ya can just stick your car wherever cause you're rich, huh?" She snarled up at him. Then she gestured at her motorcycle. "Look at this dent here! I don't got the money to fix this!" 

"I-" 

"Look here, Rich Boy. Ya've made me late for work, and I don't got the time to make ya pay for this. I can't afford to lose this job too! But I'll make sure ya don't forget it." With that, she pulled her helmet over her head, got onto her freshly dented bike, and rode off, still steaming.

 

*+*+*+*+*+*

 

Weekends always had the busiest mornings at the at the diner where Saeko worked. She didn't even have enough time to rant about her morning to her friend and coworker, Minami. Instead, she had to wait on table after table, as people piled in for their Saturday breakfast. 

"Good morning! Welcome to Furuta's Diner, may I start ya off with some- drinks?" Saeko stopped in her tracks. It was the man from that morning. Across from him was a younger boy with glasses who looked to be about Ryuu's age. 

Her neighbor was unmistakably panicked, but when his eyes met hers, she saw something resembling relief cross his face. "Ah! This is her now!" 

"Really?" The other boy, looked up at Saeko while pointing to her neighbor. A raised eyebrow added to the skepticism in his voice. "Are you his girlfriend?" 

What. Saeko was certain she heard wrong. Who did he think he was? The two of them had only met this morning, and she was still mad at him. She stared at him for a split second and could easily see the plea in his eyes. Oh, he was gonna owe her big for this. "Of course! But darling, ya really surprised me," her words came with a sarcastic smile and a hidden death glare. "I wasn't expecting to meet one of your friends this morning. Why didn't ya tell me anything?" 

The nameless man looked sheepish. "Oh, this is my younger brother, Kei. I thought we'd finally come here for breakfast for once..." 

"I... see." Saeko was still very confused, and _very_  unhappy with this man. "Well, I'm Tanaka Saeko. It's nice to finally meet ya, Kei-kun!" 

"You too," Kei responded, looking just as confused as she felt.

 

*+*+*+*+*+*

 

The ticket came, and the bright red of a lipstick mark brought Akiteru's attention to what was written on the bottom: "(xxx)-xxx-xxxx Ya owe me big time, Rich Boy."

When it came time to pay, he told Kei to wait at the table so he could speak to her a little more privately. He tried to approach as normally as he could with images of her yelling that morning flashed in his mind. 

"What was that?" she snapped immediately. 

"Shhh," he panicked, "My brother's watching! Just. Act normal?" 

She stared. What was "normal" in this situation? 

"Anyways, um...  _Darling_ , when do you get off work so we can talk?" 

"My lunch break is at 12:30." 

"Okay, I'll be there." Then, Akiteru took the biggest risk of the day; he went to hug her.  _Wow,_ _she's_ _so small._  He bent down, as if to kiss her cheek, but whispered, "My name's Tsukishima Akiteru. I'll explain everything during your break." 

"Make it there or I break your car," she whispered back. He had no doubt about it. The image of a fuming woman armed with a kitchen knife slashing his tires flew through his mind.

Akiteru was sure to leave an extra large tip. Then, as he and his brother made their way out the door, she waved, winked, _for crying out loud_ , and called, "I'll see ya later, Aki!"  _  
_

A nickname, two minutes after meeting him and somehow assessing the situation? That girl was  _good_. 

"I don't get it," Kei said when they walked out. 

"What do you mean?" 

"She's too good for you," he elaborated. "I mean, someone like you can't get someone that hot. How did that happen, exactly?"

Akiteru panicked. "I hit her motorcycle with my car."

"What? Nii-chan, that's not how you win a girl over." 

"As if you know how to get a girl, Kei! Besides." He licked his lips. "I... took her out to lunch as an apology, and we really hit it off, okay?" It wasn't a complete lie. 

"Okay, okay," Kei said. "What a charmer you've become, Nii-chan." 

 

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

 

At promptly 12:30, Akiteru entered Furuta's Diner. Saeko was nowhere to be found, so he waited with the grief of someone on death row. 

"Excuse me, sir, you can just seat yourself," a passing waitress told him. 

"Oh, no, I'm uh... just waiting for Tanaka-san."

"Oh! You must be Tsukishima-san!" the waitress said in revelation. "Saeko-chan's just in the break room clocking out, but I'll tell her you're here." 

"Oh, thanks..." he trailed off. He wasn't sure if seeing Saeko sooner would help him in any way. 

Not a minute later, the woman herself approached him. She still wore the white polo shirt of her uniform, but the apron was gone. When she reached him, she grabbed his wrist l and led him outside the diner. "Explain," she finally said, looking up at him. 

Akiteru was sure he would need another shower when he was done, because her intensity made him break out into a cold sweat. "Well, I-" 

"Yeah? Spit it out!"

"I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend," he rushed out.

"Hah?"

"You see, I was having this conversation with my brother this morning because he's always had a hard time making friends, and then he said that I've never even had a girlfriend, and I- I said I  _do_ have a girlfriend, and then you showed up and I just panicked! Now he thinks we have a date tomorrow night, and I'm so sorry about your motorcycle Tanaka-san, and I swear I'll make it up to you, but I really need your help here." Akiteru realized that what he said probably came out as nothing but a jumble of words that made no sense, but he didn't have anything better to say. 

"So what you're saying," Saeko said, raising an eyebrow, "is that ya've never had a girlfriend, ya lied to your little brother, and ya want me to cover for ya?" 

It sounded awful when she said it straight up like that. "Yes?" 

Saeko sighed. "I still haven't forgiven ya about this morning, y'know. But I'm bored. This could be interesting." 

Akiteru waited. 

"So long as ya pay for all the dates, ya don't kiss me unless I let ya, and ya pay for my motorcycle." 

"Is... is that it?" 

"I suppose," she said. "You're real lucky I don't already got a boyfriend, y'know. And that tomorrow's my day off."

"Thank you!" Akiteru could hardly say anything else, he was so relieved. It just occurred to him that she could have not been single; he had only been focused on making sure Kei didn't realize that he had been lying. He decided not to imagine what would have happened if that was the case. 

All Saeko said before walking back inside was, "I'll be ready at 6:30. Ya know where to find me. Don't be late." 


	2. The First Date Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akiteru has no idea what goes on in Saeko's mind, and Saeko has no idea how to pronounce fillet mignon.

"You're acting like a middle schooler going to karaoke with a girl for the first time," Kei said at 5:30 that Sunday as his brother flitted around the house. "How long have you been dating this girl?" 

Akiteru came to a stop. He really needed to start thinking these things through. What would seem believable? "About... two weeks now."

"Akiteru, you have a girlfriend?" Their mother stuck her head out from the kitchen where she prepared dinner. "I'm so happy for you! What's her name?" 

"Oh, uh, yeah Mom. Her name's Saeko." 

"She sounds lovely! You'll have to bring her over some time." 

" _Later_ , Mom. It's only been two weeks," he reminded her.  _More like a day_ , he reminded himself. 

Thirty minutes later, Akiteru was ready to be out the door. 

"Akiteru-nii, isn't your date at 6:30? She lives next door," Kei mentioned. 

Their mother added, "Where are you going so early?" 

"Flowers!"

 

*+*+*+*+*+*

 

"I can't believe you said yes to some guy who asked you out at work last week," Ryuu said over the sounds of the game and vibrations of the controllers. 

"What can I say? He seemed... nice," Saeko tried to explain in a way that seemed believable. Something told her that telling Ryuu the truth wouldn't be the best idea in that situation.  

"Where are ya guys going?" 

"No clue," she answered honestly. 

"Got it." 

The doorbell rang. 

"Go ahead and let my guy die, I probably won't be back home for a few hours," Saeko said, standing up from their place in front of the game. 

"Hell no," Ryuu said, standing to get to the door first. "This guy's gotta know who's sister he's dating."

She stood back and let him answer the door. Of course she already told Akiteru her conditions, but this would be fun to watch. 

"What do you think you're doing here, Rich Boy?" her brother snarled. 

"M-my name's Tsukishima Akiteru," she heard him say from the doorway. "I'm hear to pick up Saeko for our date. Is she here?" 

"Where are ya taking my sister, huh?" 

She heard him name the most expensive restaurant in a ten-mile radius and looked down at her outfit; a flannel and black skinny jeans was not something one would wear there. Apparently, the two had very different ideas about an ideal first date. As she walked to the front door, she could only pray he didn't show up in a suit. But the first thing she saw was the bouquet. "Oh my God. Did you seriously get me roses?" 

"Um... yeah? I hope you like them." He held it out for her to take. 

"I can't believe you're such a sap," she muttered as she took the roses from him and left to put them in water. But honestly, if the same boy also showed up in a sweater vest to take her to the nicest restaurant around, she could believe it. 

Her house hadn't had a vase in it for years, so she dug around the back cupboard for the tallest glass they owned. The sight looked out of place at her dining table; the bouquet was too extravagant and the cup was too small to hold them up all the way. 

"...and I promise not to do that either," Akiteru was saying when Saeko returned to the door. 

"He's fine," Ryuu told her. "Just beat 'im up if he tries anything on you, Sis." 

"You got it, Ryuu." Saeko then looked up at her date. "Now let's see how ya do."

 

*+*+*+*+*+*

 

Akiteru had heard his whole life that a man was supposed to always open the door for a woman, but Saeko beat him to her door. "Aren't you supposed to be on the driver's side?" she had questioned. 

He could do nothing but sigh, nod, and return to his door. 

"Sorry for not letting you know about the restaurant beforehand, Tanaka-san," he apologized once they got in the car. 

"I don't care about my outfit, if that's what you're saying, Tsukishima. But the roses were overkill." Saeko hated when men tried to suck up to some standard by buying stereotypical, romantic gifts and slicking back their hair like idiots. Very few guys could truly pull off slicked hair, and this Akiteru guy was not one of them. As an afterthought, she added, "You have my number, unless ya threw it away. Ya coulda texted me something about tonight." 

"Oh! I... forgot. I'm sorry about that." What Akiteru didn't tell her was that he was too busy panicking about what to do for their date to remember that he could have consulted the very woman he would be taking out.

 

*+*+*+*+*+*

 

"7:00 reservation for Tsukishima." 

"You got a reservation?" Saeko looked at him incredulously. 

"Well it's... it's reservation only."

Who took a girl to a reservation only restaurant on a first date anyway? This guy seemed to be barfing money. With a sigh, she followed Akiteru and the waiter to their table. Saeko had never before been more confused by a menu. She couldn't even read most of the items, they all looked more expensive than repairing her bike would be, and  _what the hell is fillet mignon?_

"Do they got burgers here?" 

"I wouldn't think so, no," Akiteru told her. His face was illuminated by candlelight, which was even more overkill than the roses. "But I hear the fillet mignon is good, if you want steak." 

"What  _i_ s fillet mignon?" Saeko didn't even know if she was saying it right. 

"It's... a type of steak, I'm pretty sure. I've never had it." 

"Have ya even been here before?"

"No. I've never had a reason to come." 

"But it's the perfect date spot, huh?" 

"Well, yeah. Don't you think so?" he asked, eyeing the soft lighting and fancy tablecloths. 

"No, it's really not," she said. "Ya really think I want fancy dinners and roses?" 

"I don't know what you want, considering I hardly know you, Tanaka-san." 

Saeko sat back in her chair and sighed. "How do ya think we're gonna convince your brother we're dating this way?" 

Before Akiteru could answer, the waiter came to take their orders. They both got fillet mignon.

 

*+*+*+*+*+*

 

"So," Saeko said between bites. "What's your game plan, Tsukishima?" 

"Game plan?" 

"Ya know, how we're gonna make this thing work! And we've  _got_  to solidify our stories." 

"Oh, right."

The two of them filled each other in with what they had told their brothers. 

"Okay. How did we meet?" 

"I hit your bike."

"No kidding! I meant, how does your brother think we met?"

"That is how he thinks we met," Akiteru told her. "Except in this version, I took you to lunch as an apology and we actually hit it off." 

Saeko closed her eyes and rested her chin on her hands. "Fine. I can work with that," she said. "Now we have to figure out date nights. Cause I work from four to closing on weekdays and on Saturdays I got a double shift. You got lucky with this Sunday, Tsukishima. They're my only days with no work."

"I work on weekday mornings anyways, so that's fine." 

"And one more thing," Saeko said, holding up a finger. "You really have to work on date locations."

 

*+*+*+*+*+*

 

"What do we do now?" Akiteru asked when he pulled into his driveway. 

"What are you, an idiot? Ya gotta walk me to the door. Especially since you seem partial to sappy moves like that."

"Oh, right. Walking you to your door," he said, ignoring that last part. This time, he didn't try to open the car door for her. 

"No kiss," Saeko told him at her porch. 

"I wasn't-" 

"Your brother's looking out the window. If ya knew, ya might've tried something." 

Akiteru didn't even try to argue with her. That wouldn't be a good sight to give Kei right after he just told him that him and Saeko got along "very well, actually." Instead, he asked her, "May I hug you then?" 

"Fine." 

When he wrapped his arms around Saeko this time, it wasn't much less awkward then that time at the diner, but Akiteru didn't feel her shoulders tense like they had. She even reciprocated, and once again, he was hit with how small she really was. 

"Well, uh," Akiteru choked out. "Goodnight." 

"I'll call ya tomorrow, Rich Boy. Be sure to not act like an idiot if your brother's there," she reminded him. 

"I'll try."

And for some reason, when she went inside and saw the out-of-place bouquet on the table, illuminated by moonlight from the window, Saeko couldn't help but laugh.


	3. Practice Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akiteru goes to work and the Karasuno Boys' Volleyball Club makes their first appearance.

"Guys! Coach Tsukishima is here!"

Akiteru walked into the elementary school gym, and tiny shoes squeaked on the floor as kids ran up to surround him. "Coach Tsukishima! Coach Tsukishima! Are we going to spike today?" 

"Not today, Kameko," he laughed. 

"Awwww..." the drawn out chorus echoed throughout the gym. 

"Now, now," he said to calm them. "I'll tell you what. Depending on how you do on receives this week, I might reward you with an early start on learning spikes. How's this Friday sound?" 

He was answered with cheers and excited chatter. One kid in particular, a roudy boy named Ryousuke, ran around the group with a shout. "Yes!! I'm gonna become the best spiker in all of Japan! I'll be like, 'zoom!' and the ball will go like, 'bam!' The other team won't know what hit them!" 

"That's pretty ambitious, Ryousuke. You'll have to work really hard to get there. But first things first: you'll be even cooler if you can spike  _and_ receive that well. So receiving practice comes first, okay?" 

Ryousuke stopped in his tracks. "Well, I guess." 

"Now, since you seem extra eager, can you help me set up the net? Kameko, you know where the ball cart is now, right? Everyone else, start warming up." 

"Yes, Coach Tsukishima!"

 

*+*+*+*+*+*

 

Monday at practice, Ryuunosuke was still thinking about his sister and her new boyfriend. This guy seemed nothing like any of the guys she'd dated in high school. He even took her to a restaurant instead of a bar; and not just any restaurant -- an expensive, reservation-only restaurant with 'fillet mignon,' whatever that was. 

"Hey Ryuu!" Nishinoya called. 

"You've been acting strange this morning," Suga added.  

"Oh, really? Well... my sister just got a new boyfriend," he told them. 

"What? Saeko-neesan is dating someone?" Nishinoya exclaimed in disbelief. 

"That's right," he confirmed. "No clue why she's dating now of all times though. Sisters are so weird." 

"That is true," Daichi pitched in. 

"You guys!" Coach Ukai barked when hearty half of the team had stopped to listen to Ryuunosuke. "Get back to practice!"

 

*+*+*+*+*+*

 

As the kids were cleaning up from practice, Akiteru got a call. It was Saeko. 

"Hello? Tanaka-san?" 

"Tsukishima!" she responded quickly, without a greeting. "We need to practice!" 

"Practice what?" 

"Acting like a couple, of course!" she spoke with an attitude that made him wonder who's idea the whole ordeal really was. "We're an absolute crap couple, and both our brothers are smart enough to know that." 

"But... Sweetheart," Akiteru tried out the name, and decided that it didn't fit the Saeko he knew at all. "Why now?" 

"Ryuu'll be here any moment now, and if- ya have any free time after work, why don't ya stop by my place for some fun before my night shift?" Her voice changed from frantic to flirty in a split second, and he was sure he heard a door shut and the faint sound of someone announcing their arrival home. 

Akiteru had no idea what Saeko could mean by fun. If he were to guess, he'd think of her as the type of girl to have them hide together in her room and make suspicious noises with her brother home. He shuddered at the thought.  _As if_ he'd sleep with her for real. She would probably kick him where it hurts sooner than that, and Akiteru valued his safety. But instead of voicing any of this aloud, he answered, "That sounds great! The gym is almost cleaned up, and I just need to wait for the kids' parents to pick them up and I'll be right over." 

"Oh, wonderful Aki! I can't wait." 

The drills he had done with the kids that day hadn't been difficult, but after he hung up, Akiteru could have sworn he was sweating harder than before. 

 

*+*+*+*+*+*

 

As soon as Akiteru got home, he dashed to Saeko's door. A burst of laughter, however, was not the greeting he expected. 

"What are you wearing?" 

It was then that he realized that maybe he should have changed into something other than a tracksuit and his school badge. "I just came from work...." was all he could say. 

"You just couldn't wait to see me? Oh, Aki... you're sweet." Something told him that her teasing laughter from earlier was closer to the real Saeko than what he'd ever see during their facade; her lovey-dovey tone of voice seemed to belong to a completely different girl, as if she was borrowing it for a moment -- and she was  _so good_ at using what wasn't hers. "Well, what are you waiting for? Ryuu may be home, but I want to have fun with my  _darling_." 

Cautiously, he followed her into the house and was led to the living room where her brother was sitting in front of an old Xbox. Much to Akiteru's appreciation, she didn't lead him behind any closed doors of a bedroom; instead, she sat beside her brother, grabbed a controller, and patted the floor next to her, motioning for him to do the same. 

"Turn it to multilayer, Ryuu. I  _really_ feel like showing you boys how it's done." Saeko seemed to adopt this super focused aura to her upon starting the game. 

Akiteru, on the other hand, could have cried with relief. Video games, he could handle. He was way more used to PC games, which led him to fumble with the controller and look Saeko's screen for half of the game ("You mean I've been in last place this whole time??"), but it was casual, and way less stressful than what he was imagining all afternoon. 

After nearly two hours of getting utterly crushed at Mario Kart, Akiteru stood outside of his door with Saeko.

"If you're as stiff around me as you were today, you're not gonna fool anyone," she said as if the afternoon was a test and he was just receiving his grade. "Also... your Mario Kart skills could use a  _lot_ of work." 

She said the last part with a giggle, as if she was genuinely amused by his screw ups earlier, and Akiteru could have sworn that, in that moment, she was completely and utterly  _adorable._ The finishing blow was when she pulled his face down to plant a peck beside his ear. Strutting back to her door, she looked back and waved. "Bye bye, Mr. Last Place." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DON'T KILL ME FOR THE LATE UPDATE I'M SO SORRY. Lots of things kept me from actually writing, and in the end it took me that many months to get out an idea that was in my head since the day I finished chapter 2, and even now I'm not totally happy with how things have played out, or with how short this chaper is compared tk the others... Anywho, I hope everyone's still in character, and that y'all enjoyed it!


End file.
